Book Review: Four Parties and a Funeral by Maria DiRico
- Kristen Lewendon
- Feb 16, 2024
- 2 min read
Catering Hall Mystery Book 4
In this fresh and witty cozy mystery series set amid an extended Italian-American family in Astoria, Queens, catering hall owner and amateur sleuth Mia Carina must solve a murder on the set of a reality show.
The June events schedule at Belle View is busting out all over—proms, graduations, and of course, weddings. There are unexpected bookings too, including a casting call for the pilot of Dons of Ditmars Boulevard. But soon, Mia’s fears about the cheesy reality show are confirmed . . .
Belle View quickly becomes the site of a sea of wanna-be goombahs and phony girlfriends, and some of Mia’s friends insist on getting in on the action. The production company owner and his executive producer ex-wife—who’s also very minor British royalty—have assembled a motley crew that does as much infighting and backstabbing as the on-screen “talent.” Even so, it’s a shock when a dead body is found in the pool house of a local mansion rented by the show . . .
Murder might boost the ratings. But Mia intends to make sure the killer gets jail time, not airtime . . .
Italian recipes included!
My Review:
That was so much fun. I remember a lot of years ago, there was a movie called “Married to the Mob”. The energy of this story reminds me so much of that movie. A little bit of “Oscar”, too. Apparently, slapstick mafia humor is right up my alley. I was watching all the clues that Mia was picking up, but at no point was I able to put them together to come up with the right answer. The author kept me successfully distracted with all the shiny red herrings to chase. Then there was the added complication of Mia’s relationship drama that also kept me guessing. I love where this book leaves us, and I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
Other books in the series:
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